In 2004, a year after Mwai Kibaki became President, Equity Building Society made the great leap of faith and converted into a commercial bank.
The move saw the lender, which has its roots in Murang’a, take on multinational giants like Barclays Bank of Kenya (now Absa Kenya) and Standard Chartered.
By the end of 2005, Equity Bank, with a total asset of Sh11.5 billion, was the 13th largest lender in the country, dwarfing then market leader Barclays, which controlled 17 per cent market share.
The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization with investments in media
platforms spanning newspaper print
operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a
leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in matters of national
and international interest.